Three teens stole guns, jewelry from homes, police say

Three teenagers were cited this week on charges of burglarizing seven homes in Burbank and Glendale and stealing four guns, cash and jewelry, police said Wednesday.

Police cited and released a 17-year-old Sun Valley youth and two Burbank youths, ages 16 and 17, to their parents Monday after they admitted breaking into the homes and taking various items, according to Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn.

The boys' names weren't released because they are minors.

The mother of the 17-year-old Burbank youth called Burbank police about 4:45 p.m. Sunday after she found a safe containing cash and a 9 millimeter handgun in her son's bedroom, Ryburn said.

Soon after, the boy told detectives that he and two other teenagers burglarized four homes in Burbank and three homes in Glendale. The boys have no ties to gangs, he said.

Detectives later visited the two other boys at their homes, where they recovered cash and some of the valuables, Ryburn said.

The 16-year-old youth led detectives to areas outside his house where he had hidden the guns — inside a dumpster and buried in dirt, according to police.

The firearms were stolen from a home in the 1400 block of Idlewood Road in Glendale, police said.

The boys didn't appear to target specific neighborhoods in Burbank or Glendale, but the burglaries occurred on two Saturdays – March 30 and April 6, Ryburn said.

The teenagers followed the same method when they broke into the homes. When no one answered the front door after the teenagers knocked, they went around the house and kicked in another door or smashed open a window to gain entry, Ryburn said.

Detectives on Tuesday recovered some of the stolen jewelry at pawnshops in Glendale and Hollywood, he added.

The teenagers face residential burglary charges and are expected to appear June 7 in Los Angeles County Juvenile Court, Ryburn said.

He advised residents to be vigilant and be aware of people whom they don't recognize and are acting suspiciously in their neighborhoods.